Golf practice putting game

ABSTRACT

A golf practice green is provided. The golf practice green includes a platform for supporting a user and an elongated putting surface that is selectively raised at various positions to adjust the contour and slope of a putting surface. The putting surface is flexible and is supported by numerous adjustable support members having opposed ends that are each independently adjustable in height and are selectively positioned to provide a putting surface having a desired slope and contour. The adjustable support members include plates which are constructed of a semi-rigid material and have edges which bend under the weight of the putting surface to provide for a contoured support surface for the putting surface. The adjustable support members are independently adjustable for an unlimited number of combinations of contours and slops providing for a realistic putting surface. In addition, a magnetic latch is provided to retain the position of each end of the support platform.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/549,672, filed Mar. 3, 2004, the entirety of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to practice putting surfaces.More particularly, relating to an adjustable putting surface where thesurface can be adjusted to provide varying slopes and contours tosimulate true putting conditions found on a golf course green.

There are numerous golf putting practice devices that seek to provide auser with an artificial putting surface to recreate a realistic golfcourse green, which may be encountered during a round of golf. However,these devices tend to be expensive to the consumer, are limited in theirability to provide realistic putting green conditions and tend to bedifficult or time consuming to adjust.

Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved golf practice green thatcan be used for putting practice, which provides a realistic simulatedgolf course green, is easy to adjust and is inexpensive to the buyingpublic. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfillsthis need. In this respect, the golf practice green according to thepresent invention substantially departs from the conventional conceptsand designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatusprimarily developed for the purpose of providing for an inexpensive,fully adjustable artificial golf practice green for simulating realisticgolf course putting green conditions to sharpen putting skills.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general, in one aspect, a golf practice putting game is providedincluding a platform for supporting a user and an elongated puttingsurface that is selectively raised at various positions to adjust thecontour and slope of the putting surface. The putting surface isflexible and is supported by numerous adjustable support members havingopposed ends that are each independently adjustable in height and areselectively positioned to provide a putting surface having a desiredslope and contour.

In general, in another aspect, a golf putting practice green is providedhaving each adjustable support member includes a handle at each opposedend that is easily grasped by a user to facilitate the adjustment ofeach end of the support member. In a most preferred arrangement, theends of the support member are held in an independent position by amagnetic latch.

In general, in another aspect, the golf practice green includes a usersupport platform, a putting platform integral with the user supportplatform a flexible putting surface laid across the user supportplatform and along the putting platform a plurality of support membershaving a pair of opposed ends, each of the plurality of support membersare positioned transversely across and at a spaced distance along theputting platform above said deck and below the flexible putting surface,each of the plurality of support members are vertically positionable ata desired elevation independent from one another and each end of thesupport member is vertically positionable at a desired elevationindependent from the opposite end to raise or lower a section of theflexible putting surface to create a desired contour and slope, aplurality of support plates one attached to each of the plurality ofsupport members so as to be positioned between the support member andthe flexible putting surface, each of the plurality of support plates isof a semi-rigid material which allows the support plate to flex slightlydownwardly under the weight of the flexible putting surface to create asmooth transition between contours and slops in the flexible puttingsurface; and a ball receiving cup received by the putting platform forreceiving a putted ball.

In general, in yet another aspect, the golf practice green includes aplurality of actuators one attached to each end of the opposed ends ofeach of the plurality of support members, each actuator is operable toadjust the elevation of the end to which it is attached, and a controlsystem connected to each of the plurality of actuators for controllingthe operation of each actuator.

Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention overthe prior art will become apparent from the detailed description of thedrawings which follows, when considered with the attached figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the golfpractice green constructed in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 a is a partial side elevation view with one end of a supportmember in a raised position;

FIG. 2 b is a partial side elevation view with one end of a supportmember in a lowered position;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross sectional view of the golf practice greentaken along line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is the cross sectional view of FIG. 4 illustrating an alternatepositioning of a support member;

FIG. 6 is a detail view of a end of a support member and an actuatorattached to the support member for positioning the end to which it isattached; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a control system that can be used toautomatically control the positioning of the ends of each supportmember.

The same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout thevarious figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a golf practice green. Referring to FIG. 1, agolf practice green 10 in accordance with the present invention isillustrated and will be describe. The golf practice green 10 includes auser support platform 12 which is integral with an elongated puttingplatform 14. The user support platform 12 is defined by two ends 16 andtwo sides 18 and includes a central area 20 for the placement of a golfball 22. Side areas 24 provide space for either a right handed golfer ora left handed golf to stand and address the golf ball 22.

The elongated putting platform 14 extends from one end 16 of the usersupport platform 12 and is defined by two raised side rails 26 and araised end rail 28 and includes a golf ball receiving cup 29 positionedtowards the end rail. A continuous flexible putting surface 30 is laidacross the user support platform 12 and along the elongated puttingplatform 14. Preferably, the flexible putting surface 30 is artificialturf. However, other surfaces are contemplated, such as low shag carpet,outdoor carpet or the like. The putting surface 30 is supported by theuser support platform 12 by a rigid deck 32 and is supported by theputting platform 14 by the deck and spaced transverse support members34.

Each transverse support member 34 includes two opposed ends 36, as bestillustrated in FIG. 4, which pass through a vertical slot 38 formedthrough respective raised side rails 26. By raising the ends 36 of thesupport member 34, the support member can be selectively raised to forma contour or slope 40 within the putting surface 30. Preferably, eachend 36 extends through its respective slot 38 a distance to provide ahandle 42 for a user to easily grasp and raise the end of the supportmember 34. The two opposed ends 36 of each support member 34 can beraised together to the same level or can be raised independently todifferent levels depending upon the user's preference.

Referring to FIGS. 2 a and 2 b, the end 36 of one support member 34 isillustrated in a lowered positioned in FIG. 2 a and a raised position inFIG. 2 b. The end 36 is secured at a desired level by a magnetic latch44. The magnetic latch 44, includes a magnetic source 46, such as apermanent magnet, attached to a side surface of the end 36 and ametallic member 48 attached to the raised side rail 26 and along thelength of the vertical slot 38 formed therethrough. In additionalexamples, not illustrated, the magnetic source could be secured to theraised side rail 26 while the metallic member 48 is secured to the end36, or the magnetic source could be attached the raised side rail andthe end 36 can be formed of a metallic material, thereby eliminating theneed for the metallic member. It is also contemplated to use anelectro-magnetic source as the magnetic source 46.

In a preferred embodiment, the magnetic source 46 is a rare earth magnetand the metallic member 48 is a section of angle material constructedfrom a magnetic attracting material, such as steel or iron. Inadditional embodiments, the metallic member 48 could be constructed froma polymer material of plastic or the like, admixed with particles ofmagnetic attracting material. One edge of the metallic member 48 isattached to the raised side rail 26 with the second edge lying in aplane parallel to the adjacent surface of the magnet source 46. To raisethe end 36 a user simply lifts the end to a desired height and the endis retained at that height by a magnetic attraction between the magneticsource 46 and the metallic member 48. The magnetic attraction betweenthe metallic member 48 and the magnetic source 46 is of a magnitudesufficient enough to retain the selected height of the end 36 of thesupport member 34 by overcoming the weight the of the support member,the magnetic source 46, the supported putting surface 30 and at leastone golf ball 20. Preferably, the magnetic attraction is of a magnitudethat is sufficient enough to over come the aforementioned forces and inaddition would require a relatively small force applied by the user toraise or lower the end 36.

Turning to FIG. 3, which is a cross sectional view of the golf practicegreen taken through the putting platform along line 3-3 in FIG. 1. Inthis figure, a support member 34 is illustrated in a raised position.The support member 34 includes a longitudinal bar 50 and a plate 52attached thereto for supporting the putting surface 30. The plate 52 isa width so that the longitudinal edges 64 of the plate extend beyond thesides of the bar 50 to provide for a greater surface area of support tothe putting surface 30. Preferably, the plate 52 is constructed of amaterial that affords for a semi-rigid property to the plate allowingthe edges 64 to bow slightly due to the weight of the putting surface30. The ability for the edges 64 of the plate 52 to bow under the weightof the putting surface 30 provides for a smooth transition of slope orcontour of the putting surface thereby providing a realistic puttingsurface that is free of bumps or creases, which are typically found withthe prior art putting practice devices.

Above the deck 32 is a layer of foam 66 positioned between the deck andthe putting surface 30. An intermediate layer 80 of support material canalso be used, which is positioned above the foam layer 66 and theputting surface 30. Preferably, the intermediate layer is constructed ofthe same material used in the construction of the plate 52 and has athickness that is equal to the thickness of the plate. The foam layer 66includes a slot 82 for receiving the bar 50 therewithin when the supportmember 34 is in a lowered position. Preferably, the foam layer 66 is ofa thickness equal to the thickness of the bar 50 so that the bar isflush with the surface of the foam layer when in a fully loweredposition. The plate 52 is received within a space 84 cut into theintermediate layer 80 when the support member 34 is in the loweredposition to provide for a flush support surface for the putting surface30.

Turning to FIG. 4, which is a longitudinal cross sectional view of asupport member 34 taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3. In this view, bothends 36 of the support member 34 are in a generally equal raisedposition. In this position, a smooth arcuate contour is formed into thesupport surface 30, such as the contour of the putting surfaceillustrated in FIG. 3. The slope or rise of the contour can be adjustedby lowering the support member 34 by adjusting the height of each end36.

It can be seen in this view that the ball receiving cup 29 is flush withthe putting surface 30 and includes a return chute 86 for directing areceived ball through the raised side rail 26 for retrieval by a user.

Referring to FIG. 5, which is a cross sectional view takenlongitudinally through a support member 34 and which illustrates anadditional exemplary position of a support member 34. In this example,the ends 36 of the support member are positioned at different heights,one in a raised position and the opposite in a lowered position. Withthis positioning, the putting surface 30 is created to have an arcuatecontour similar to that of FIG. 3, but with the addition of a downwarddirectional slope in a direction toward the raised side rail 26juxtaposed the lower positioned end 36. FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate onlya small number of many ways the support members 34 can be positioned tocreate a putting surface having numerous combinations of contours andslopes. There are an endless number of combinations in which the supportmembers 34 can be positioned to create realistic putting surfaces forthe user to practice putting on.

Now with reference to FIG. 6, in an additional aspect of the golfpractice green an actuator 90 is attached to each end 36 of each supportmember 34. Each actuator (for clarity only one is illustrated) isindependently operated, either manually through a controller (not shown)to adjust the elevation of the end to which it is attached to create adesired contour in the flexible putting surface 30. The actuator 90shown here is of the servo motor type which is operable to control theelevation of the end 36 of the support arm 34. While the actuator 90 isshown as a servo motor, numerous other types of actuators arecontemplated, such as but not limited to a pneumatic cylinder, ahydraulic cylinder, a stepper motor, or a linear actuator. In oneaspect, the actuator 90 is selected from the group consisting of apneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a stepper motor, and a linearactuator.

As mentioned earlier, each actuator 90 can be controlled manuallythrough a controller or can be controlled automatically through acontrol system 92, such as the one shown diagrammatically in FIG. 7. Thecontrol system 92 includes a programmable logic controller (PLC) 94 anda user interface 96, such as a personal computer or hand held computer,connected to the PLC for facilitating the programming and operation ofthe PLC. The PLC 94 is connected to each actuator 90 and is programmedto control the operation of each actuator to adjust the elevation ofeach end 36 of each support member 34 to create a putting surface havingthe desired contour. The PLC 94 can be programmed with a sequence ofdifferent putting surfaces to simulate the consecutive putting on anactual existing golf course or on a virtual golf course, which can bedesigned by the user through the user interface 96.

Furthermore, while the actuator 90 is illustrated as being attached tothe end 36 of a support member 34 exterior of the side rail 26, theplacement of the actuator is not limited to this configuration andshould not be limited to this configuration. The placement of theactuator 90 depends upon the type of actuator used and the over alldimensions of the golf practice green 10. The actuator 90 can be placedvirtually in any location so long as the act of putting of a golf ballacross the putting surface 30 is not hindered by the location of theactuators.

The control system as shown in FIG. 7, is illustrated for exemplarypurposes only, as many different types of control systems can reasonablybe implemented to achieve the same results.

Of course, the foregoing description is that of preferred embodiments ofthe invention, and various changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A golf practice putting game comprising: a user support platform; aputting platform integral with said user support platform; a flexibleputting surface laid across said user support platform and along saidputting platform; a plurality of support members having a pair ofopposed ends, each of said plurality of support members are positionedtransversely across and at a spaced distance along said putting platformabove said deck and below said flexible putting surface, each of saidplurality of support members are vertically positionable at a desiredelevation independent from one another and each end of said supportmember is vertically positionable at a desired elevation independentfrom the opposite end to raise or lower a section of said flexibleputting surface to create a desired contour and slope; a plurality ofsupport plates one attached to each of said plurality of support membersso as to be positioned between said support member and said flexibleputting surface, each of said plurality of support plates is of asemi-rigid material which allows said support plate to flex slightlydownwardly under the weight of said flexible putting surface to create asmooth transition between contours and slops created in said flexibleputting surface; and a ball receiving cup received by said puttingplatform for receiving a putted ball.
 2. The golf practice putting gameof claim 1, wherein said putting platform includes a pair of side railsand an end rail which extend to height above said flexible puttingsurface, and further wherein each end of said opposed ends of eachsupport member extends through a cooperating slot formed through arespective side rail.
 3. The golf practice putting game of claim 2,further comprising: a plurality of magnetic latches one positionedapproximate to each end of said opposed ends of said plurality ofsupport members for retaining the respective end at a desired elevation.4. The golf practice putting game of claim 1, further comprising: aplurality of actuators one attached to each end of said opposed ends ofeach of said plurality of support members, each actuator is operable toadjust the elevation of said end to which it is attached; and a controlsystem connected to each of said plurality of actuators for controllingthe operation of each actuator.
 5. The golf practice putting game ofclaim 4, wherein each of said plurality of actuators are selected fromthe group consisting of a stepper motor, a servo motor, a linearactuator, a pneumatic cylinder and a hydraulic cylinder.
 6. The golfpractice putting game of claim 4, wherein said control system includes:a programmable logic controller; a ball position sensor connected tosaid programmable logic controller; a user interface connected to saidprogrammable logic controller; and wherein said control system controlsthe operation of each of said plurality of actuators based upon apreprogrammed sequence.
 7. The golf practice putting game of claim 6,wherein said programmed sequence includes a plurality of differentputting configurations designed to simulate the putting on the greens ofan actual golf course or of a virtual golf course.
 8. A golf practiceputting game comprising: a user support platform; a putting platformintegral with and extending from said user support platform; saidputting platform including a pair of side rails and an end rail; aflexible putting surface laid across a deck of said user supportplatform and said putting platform; a plurality of support membershaving a pair of opposed ends, each of said plurality of support membersare positioned transversely across and at a spaced distance along saidputting platform above said deck and below said flexible puttingsurface, each of said plurality of support members are verticallypositionable at a desired elevation independent from one another andeach end of said support member is vertically positionable at a desiredelevation independent from the opposite end to raise or lower a sectionof said flexible putting surface to create a desired contour and slope;a plurality of support plates one attached to each of said plurality ofsupport members so as to be positioned between said support member andsaid flexible putting surface, each support plate is of a semi-rigidmaterial which allows said support plate to flex slightly downwardlyunder the weight of said flexible putting surface to create a smoothtransition between contours created in said flexible putting surface; aball receiving cup received by said putting platform for receiving aputted ball; and a ball return chute connected at one end to said ballreceiving cup and terminating at second open end for discharging a ballfrom said putting platform.
 9. The golf practice putting game of claim8, further comprising: a foam layer positioned above said deck alongsaid putting platform and said user support platform, said foam layerincludes one cooperating slot for each one of said plurality of supportmembers, said foam layer is of a thickness so that each support memberis received by its respective cooperating slot flush therewithin, and anintermediate layer positioned above said foam layer and below saidflexible putting surface, said intermediate layer includes onecooperating opening for each one of said plurality of support plates,said intermediate layer is of a thickness so that each support plate isreceived by its respective cooperating opening flush therewith.
 10. Thegolf practice putting game of claim 8, further comprising: a pluralityof magnetic latches one positioned approximate to each end of saidopposed ends of said plurality of support members for retaining therespective end at a desired elevation.
 11. The golf practice puttinggame of claim 10, wherein each end of said opposed ends of each supportmember extends through a cooperating slot formed through a respectiveside rail of a distance so that a user can grasp said end to adjust theelevation thereof.
 12. The golf practice putting game of claim 8,further comprising: a plurality of actuators one attached to each end ofsaid opposed ends of each of said plurality of support members, eachactuator is operable to adjust the elevation of said end to which it isattached; and a control system connected to each of said plurality ofactuators for controlling the operation of each actuator.
 13. The golfpractice putting game of claim 12, wherein each of said plurality ofactuators are selected from the group consisting of a stepper motor, aservo motor, a linear actuator, a pneumatic cylinder and a hydrauliccylinder.
 14. The golf practice putting game of claim 12, wherein saidcontrol system includes: a programmable logic controller; a userinterface connected to said programmable logic controller; and whereinsaid control system controls the operation of each of said plurality ofactuators based upon a preprogrammed sequence.
 15. The golf practiceputting game of claim 14, wherein said programmed sequence includes aplurality of different putting configurations designed to simulate theputting on the greens of an actual golf course or of a virtual golfcourse.
 16. A method of practicing putting comprising the steps of: (a)providing a golf putting practice green comprising a user supportplatform, a putting platform integral with said user support platform, aflexible putting surface laid across said user support platform andalong said putting platform, a plurality of support members positionedbelow said flexible putting surface which are operable to raise asection of said flexible putting surface independently of each other,each support member having opposed ends which are each independentlyvertically adjustable to a desired height, a plurality of support platesone attached to each of said plurality of support members so as to bepositioned between said support member and said flexible puttingsurface, each support plate is of a semi-rigid material which allowssaid support plate to flex slightly downwardly under the weight of saidflexible putting surface to create a smooth transition between contourscreated in said flexible putting surface, and a ball receiving cupreceived by said putting platform for receiving a putted ball; (b)adjusting the elevation of at least one end of at least one supportmember to create a desired putting surface within said flexible puttingsurface; (c) putting a golf ball across said flexible putting surfaceinto said ball receiving cup; and repeating steps (b) and (c) until theact of practicing putting is complete.
 17. The method of claim 16,wherein said golf putting practice green further comprises: a pluralityof actuators one attached to each end of said opposed ends of each ofsaid plurality of support members, each actuator is operable to adjustthe elevation of said end to which it is attached; and a control systemconnected to each of said plurality of actuators for controlling theoperation of each actuator.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein saidcontrol system includes: a programmable logic controller; a userinterface connected to said programmable logic controller; and whereinsaid control system controls the operation of each of said plurality ofactuators based upon a preprogrammed sequence.
 19. The method of claim18, wherein said programmed sequence includes a plurality of differentputting configurations designed to simulate the putting on the greens ofan actual golf course or of a virtual golf course.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, wherein each of said plurality of actuators are selected fromthe group consisting of a stepper motor, a servo motor, a linearactuator, a pneumatic cylinder and a hydraulic cylinder.